Self-energized sheet transferring apparatus



Jan. 29, 1963 7 2 m mk A 5 M 5 5 W M. m 51.5%

4 w A. m m 3 4 SELF-ENERGIZED SHEET TRANSFERRING APPARATUS Filed April14, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HAROLD M. FREDERICK H. M. FREDERICKQAAJH ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1963 H. M. FREDERICK 3,075,760

SELF-ENERGIZED SHEET TRANSFERRING APPARATUS Filed April 14, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. HAROLD M. FREDERICK ATTORNEY 3,'75,760SELRENERGEZED SHEET TRANSFERRING APFARATUS Harold M. Frederick, Berwyn,Pa, assignor to Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation ofMichigan Apr. 14, 1261, Ser. No. 193,034 8 Claims. (Cl. 271-71) Thisinvention relates generally to sheet feeding machines, and moreparticularly to apparatus for transferring moving sheets from a feedingpath to a delivery station angularly displaced from the feeding path.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuswhich will transfer a moving sheet from a feeding path to a deliverystation without the aid of power.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet transferringapparatus which will utilize the energy of a moving sheet fortransferring the sheet from its feeding path to another position.

Another object of the invention is to provide means a for stiffening aflexible sheet item, to be delivered into free flight to a transferdevice, so that the sheet will be better enabled to remain in itsfeeding path as it approaches the transfer device.

A further object of the invention is to provide guide means for thestiffened sheet which will direct the sheet to the transfer device andcondition it for proper reception by the transfer device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary sheet transferdevice having sheet grippers thereon, and means mounting the rotarysheet transfer device in such manner that it will be rotated by theenergy of a moving sheet, upon impact of the sheet with an operativesheet gripper and the rotary transfer device, to transfer the sheet fromits feeding path to a delivery station.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for stopping therotary sheet transfer device, preferably without the use of power, eachtime a sheet is delivered to the delivery station.

In accordance with the above objects, and first considered briefly inits broad aspects, the invention utilizes means for imparting acurvature to a flexible sheet item, or card, to stiffen the sheet sothat it will not diverge from its feeding path as it emerges into freeflight. Guide means are provided along the feeding path for receivingthe curved sheet, conditioning its leading portion to a substantiallyplanar form, and guiding the planar leading portion into the grip of arotary sheet transfer device. The rotary sheet transfer device ismounted for free rotation about its axis, as distinguished from powerrotation, so that it will be rotated by the energy of a moving sheetupon impact with the sheet. The rotary sheet transfer device is providedwith a suitable number of sheet grippers thereon, one for eachsheet-receiving position of the device. A detent means is provided forstopping the rotary sheet transfer device at each sheet-receivingposition.

The invention will be more clearly understood when the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof is read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet feeding apparatus embodying theprinciples of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with certainparts omitted;

PEG. 3 is a view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 illustrating a curvedsheet guideway;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing acurved surface of a sheet guide member merging with a central planarsurface thereof;

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FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showing theplanar surface at its effective sheet guiding region;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the rotary transfer device, on an enlargedscale, taken along line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the rotary transfer device takenon line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 88 ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows enlarged isometric views of magnetic detent members; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail view of an eccentric portion of a camshaft member.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3thereof, a curved sheet guideway 10 is formed by means of fixed curvedguide members 12 and 14. The rightward ends of the guide members 12 and14 are provided with slots as at 16, through which project apower-driven delivery roller 18 and a cooperating pressure roller 20.

To the right of the guideway Ill and in the direction of sheet feedingis a fixed sheet guide plate 22 provided with a curved sheet guidesurface 24 which blends or merges with a substantially planar surface28, the effective sheet guiding portion of which is designated 28'.

The leftward end 26 of the curved guide surface 24 is in line with andsubstantially conforms in curvature to the exit end 29 of the curvedsheet guideway 10. The curved guide surface 24 flattens gradually towardthe right until it becomes fully planar at the effective planar surface23'.

Secured to a base plate or supporting surface 30, as by screws 32 (FIG.6), is a C-shaped frame 34 to which is attached a stripper plate 36 bymeans of screws 38 (FIG. 2) passing through lateral lugs 44 of thestripper plate, the stripper plate being secured additionally at itslower region to the base piate 30 by means of a screw 42 passing through3. lug 44 of the stripper plate. The guide plate 22 is provided withlugs 46 and 48 which are secured to the frame 34, as by screws 5i) and52. A stabilizing strip 54 (FIG. 1) is secured at its rightward end tothe frame 34, as by a screw 56, and is soldered or otherwise secured atits leftward end to the guide plate 22.

The upper arm 53 (FIG. 6) of the frame 34 is provided with a bore 69 inwhich is adjustably secured an internally threaded sleeve 62. The arm 58is slotted as at 64 (FIG. 1) and provided with a clamping screw 66 toprovide a split-type clamping arrangement, as is well known, foradjustably securing the sleeve 62.

An adjusting sleeve 68 (FIG. 6) is threaded into the sleeve 62 andsecured in desired position by means of a locknut 76. The adjustingscrew 68 is counter-bored at both ends and provided with anti-frictionbearings 72 which are held in the counter-bores by means of retainingrings 74. A shaft 76 is mounted in the anti-friction bearings 72 and isprovided with an enlarged diameter portion 78 which restricts the shaftagainst axial movement relative to the sleeve 68.

An open-ended rotary sheet transfer drum 8% is secured on the lower endof the shaft 76, as by a set screw 82, and is provided with a pluralityof slots 84 (FIG. 7) in its periphery, in this case four, asillustrated. A suitable number of slots may be utilized, depending uponthe number of sheet grippers desired in any particular application. Asindicated by the leftward dot-dash line in FIG. 7, the planar sheetglide surface 28' is tangent to the periphery of the drum 80.

Extending upwardly into the lower open end of the drum 343 is a stub camshaft 86 (FIG. 6) arranged c0- axially with the drum shaft 76 andthreadedly secured in the lower arm 88 of the frame 34. The upper end ofthe 3 cam shaft 86 is formed with an eccentric 89 (FIG. 10) on which ispress-fitted an anti-friction roller 9% constituting a circular cam.

It is understood that the circular and anti-friction'characteristics, ofthe roller 91 are preferable, however, rigid cam means of other shapemay be used, if-desired. The extent of eccentricity of the eccentric819' is exaggerated in FIG. 10 for purposes of illustration.

The drum 8% is provided with aplurality of sheet gripper devices .92(FIG. 7), each pivotally mounted in a slot 84 of the drum. The gripperdevices Q2 are similar in construction and arrangement, therefore, adescription of only one of them will be given.

Each sheet gripper device 92 comprises a resilient sheet gripper finger94 secured at one end to a cam follower $6. As seen in FIG. 8, the camfollower 96 exhibits an inverted T-shaped formation and is provided withupper and lower legs 98 and 1&0, respectively, and a central followerarm 1fi2. Press-fitted in the legs 98 and 1% are journal pins 1M- and106, respectively. The outer end of the pin 104 is journalled in asuitable bearing hole in the closed end 168 of the drum S0. The outerend of the journal pin 166 is similarly journalled in a bearing hole inan annular bearing ring 110 (FIG, 6) secured to the lower open end ofthe drum 841, as by screws 112. The follower arm 102 is provided at itsinner end with an adjusting screw 1538 (FIG. 7) which is set relative tothe periphery of the circular cam 90 to obtain the desired grippingforce of the associated gripper finger 94. When a. gripper finger 94 isin an operative sheetreceiving position, shown as the lowermost positionin FIG. 7, it will be urged against the periphery of the drum 8!) by thecircular cam 91 In the other three inoperative positions, it will bespaced from the periphery of the drum.

The sleeve.62 and drum (FIG. 6.) are provided with reduced diameterportions 114 and 116, respectively, on which are cemented or otherwisesecured circular magnetic members 118 and 120 which cooperate to form adetent for the rotary transfer device or drum 8%. The magnetic members118 and 120 are. of a commercially available variety, known as ceramicmagnets, and may be obtained, for example, from such companies asIndiana Steel Company or Stackpole Carbon Company. As shown in theenlarged detail views in FIG. 9, the magnetic members 1'18 and 121) areprovided with corresponding magnetized regions 122, in this case four innumber, corresponding with the number of gripper devices 92. Eachmagnetized region 122 represents a detent position of the drum 8%) andcomprises a U-shaped magnetized region having north and south polesdesignated N and S, respectively. It is understood that the detentrepresented by the magnetic members 118 and 121 is illustrative only,and that other types of detents may be used, if desired.

The apparatus is illustrated for stacking flexible sheets or cards 124(FIG. 1) which preferably, as in the present embodiment, are stacked onedge as on a plate 125 secured on the base plate 30. In this connection,the plate 125 may be regarded as the base of a stacking bin 126 for thecards 124, in which case the stripper plate 36 may represent a sidewallof the bin. A second sidewall of the stacking bin 126 may take the formof a slowly-rotating endless belt 127.

In the operation of transferring a sheet or card 124 from a feeding pathto a delivery station, in this case to the stacking bin 126, a card 124is delivered to the apparatus by associated devices, not shown, througha chute 128 (FIG. 1) and into the curved sheet guideway where it isengaged by the delivery rollers 1-8 and 20 and thereby fed out of theguideway 10 toward the rotary drum 89. The curved guide members 12 and14 will impart a corresponding curvature to the sheet or card so that itwill then ride along and be guided by the curved guide surface 24, andwill clear the ineffective portion 28" of the planar surface 28. As thecard approaches the drum 80, its leading portion will be graduallyflattened by the surface 24 so that it will be in substantially flatcondition against the planar sheet guide surface 28' and suitable forgripping by the operative sheet gripper finger 94. By imparting to thecard a curvature in the guideway it), the card will be made more rigidso that it will stay in the feeding path against the guide plate 22 asit emerges into free flight from the curved guideway 10. At the time thetrailing edge of the card 124 leaves the exit end 29 of the curvedguideway 19, or shortly thereafter, the leading end portion of the cardwill enter into the bite of the operative sheet gripper finger 94. Theenergy of the moving card 124 will overcome the inertia of the drum 86and the detenting force of the magnetic members 118 and 129 and rotatethe drum a quarter turn to the next sheet-receiving position, at whichposition the drum will again be magnetically detented by the magneticmembers 118 and and the card 124 stripped from the sheet gripper finger94 bythe stripping plate 36. The dot-dash lines 130 (FIG. 1) indicatesuccessive positions of the card as it is being transferred from theguide plate 22 to the stacking bin 125. The slowly-moving belt 127 urgesthe trailing edge of the card into the stacking bin.

What is claimed is:

l. A sheet transferring apparatus comprising, a rotary drum, a pluralityof resilient gripper fingers carried by said rotary drum and spacedabout its periphery, each gripper finger arranged to be operative at asheet receiv ing position of said rotary drum, cam means pressing anoperative gripper finger toward said periphery for receiving andsimultaneously gripping a freely moving sheet delivered from a feedingpath, permanent magnet means detenting said rotary drum in successivesheet receiving positions, a single elongated guide plate along thefeeding path for directing a sheet into the grip of an operative gripperfinger and said periphery, one end of said guide plate having. a planarsheet guide surface tangent to the periphery of said rotary drum, theopposite end of said guide plate having a curvature transverse to thedirection of sheet feeding providing a curved sheet guide surfacemerging with said planar sheet guide surface, means forming a curvedsheet guideway for bowing a sheet transversely to the direction of sheetfeeding and conforming substantially in curvature to said curved sheetguide surface and in line therewith, means for feeding a sheet throughsaid curved sheet guideway to said guide plate so that the sheet willride successively against said curved sheet guide surface and saidplanar sheet guide surface until it is in free flight and enters thegrip of said operative gripper finger and periphery, means mounting saidrotary drum in such manner that the latter will be rotated, by theenergy of said sheet upon impact of the sheet with said operativegripper finger and periphcry, to the next successive sheet receivingposition, and means at said last mentioned sheet receiving position forstripping the sheet from said operative gripper finger and periphery,and wherein the energy imparted to said rotary drum by said sheet issufiicient toovercome the detenting force of said permanent magnetmeans.

2. A sheet transferring apparatus comprising, a rotary drurn, aplurality of movable gripper fingers carried by said rotary drum andspaced about its periphery, each gripper finger arranged to be operativeat a sheet receiving position of said rotary drum, means pressing anoperative gripper finger toward said periphery for receiving andsimultaneously gripping a freely moving sheet delivered from a feedingpath, magnetic means detenting said rot-ary drum in sheet receivingpositions, an elongated guide plate along the feeding path for directinga sheet into the grip of an operative gripper finger and said periphery,one end of said guide plate having a substantially planar sheet guidesurface substantially tangent to the periphery of said rotary drum, theopposite end of said guide plate having a curvature transverse to thedirection of sheet feeding providing a curved sheet guide surfacemerging with said substantially planar sheet guide surface, meansforming a curved sheet guideway for bowing a sheet transversely to thedirection of sheet feeding and conforming substantially in curvature tosaid curved sheet guide surface and in line therewith, means for feedinga sheet through said curved sheet guideway to said guide plate so thatthe sheet will ride successively against said curved sheet guide surfaceand said substantially planar sheet guide surface until it is in freeflight and enters the grip of said operative gripper finger andperiphery, and means mounting said rotary drum in such manner that thelatter will be rotated, by the energy of said sheet upon impact of thesheet with said operative gripper finger and periphery, to the nextsheet receiving position, the energy imparted to said rotary drum bysaid sheet being sufficient to overcome the detenting force of saidmagnetic means.

3. A sheet transferring apparatus comprising, a rotary drum fortransporting a sheet from a feeding path to a delivery station, -a sheetgripper device carried by said rotary drum and having a yieldablegripping portion urged into substantial contact with the periphery ofsaid rotary drum when the latter is stationary, said gripping portionbeing in line with said feeding path when said rotary drum is stationaryfor receiving a sheet, moving in free flight, from the feeding path, aguide plate along the feeding path having a planar sheet guide surfacesubstantially tangent to said periphery for directing said sheet intothe grip of said gripping portion and said periphery, means fordelivering a sheet to the guide plate until the sheet is in free flightand enters the grip of said gripping portion and said periphery, meansimparting a curvature to the sheet, while it is being delivered to saidguide plate, in such manner that the leading end portion of the sheetwill press against said planar sheet guide surface until the sheetreaches said gripping portion, means mounting said rotary drum in suchmanner that the latter will be rotated by the energy of said sheet uponimpact of the sheet with said gripping portion and said periphery,thereby to transport said sheet to said delivery station, and permanentmagnet means for stopping said rotary drum when it has transported saidsheet to said delivery station.

4. A sheet stacking apparatus comprising, a rotary drum for transportinga sheet from a feeding path to a stacking bin, a sheet gripper devicecarried by said rotary drum and having a gripping portion urged intosubstantial contact with the periphery of said rotary drum when thelatter is stationary, said gripping portion being in line with saidfeeding path when said rotary drum is stationary for receiving a sheet,moving in free flight, from the feeding path, a guide plate along thefeeding path for directing said sheet into the grip of said grippingportion and said periphery, means for delivering a sheet to the guideplate until the sheet is in free flight and enters the grip of saidgripping portion and said pheriphery, means imparting a curvature to thesheet, while it is being delivered to said guide plate, in such mannerthat the leading end portion of the sheet will press against the guideplate until the sheet reaches said gripping portion, means mounting saidrotary drum in such manner that the latter will be rotated by the energyof said sheet upon impact of the sheet with said gripping portion andsaid periphery, thereby to transport said sheet to said stacking bin,and magnetic means for stopping said rotary drum when it has transportedsaid sheet to said stacking bin.

5. A sheet stacking apparatus comprising, a rotary transfer device fortransporting a sheet from a feeding path to a stacking bin, a yieldablesheet gripper carried by said rotary transfer device and having anoperative position in line with said feeding path for receiving a sheet,moving in free flight, from the feeding path and for simultaneouslyyieldably pressing the sheet against said rotary transfer device to betransported thereby, a single guide plate having a surface in line withsaid feeding path for directing said sheet into the grip of said sheetgripper and said rotary transfer device, means for delivering said sheetto the guide plate in such manner that the leading end portion of thesheet will press against said surface until the sheet is in free flightand enters the grip of said sheet gripper and said rotary transferdevice, and means mounting said rotary transfer device in such mannerthat the latter will be rotated by the energy of said sheet upon impactof the sheet with said sheet gripper and said rotary transfer device,thereby to transport said sheet to said stacking bin.

6. A sheet stacking apparatus comprising, a rotary transfer device fortransporting a sheet from a feeding path to a stacking bin, a resilientsheet gripper carried by said rotary transfer device and having anoperative position in line with said feeding path for receiving a sheetfrom the feeding path and for pressing the sheet against said rotarytransfer device to be transported thereby, a guide member for directingsaid sheet into the grip of said sheet gripper and said rotary transferdevice, means for delivering said sheet to the guide-member in suchnranner that the leading end portion of the sheet will press against theguide member until the sheet enters the grip of said sheet gripper andsaid rotary transfer device, and means mounting said rotary transferdevice in such manner that the latter will be rotated by the energy ofsaid sheet upon impact of the sheet with said sheet gripper and saidrotary transfer device, thereby to transport said sheet to said stackingbin.

7. Apparatus for transferring sheets in succession from a feeding pathto a delivery station comprising, a sheet transporting drum having aplurality of sheet receiving positions, a plurality of movable sheetgripping elements carried by said transporting drum, one grippingelement for each said sheet receiving position, each said grippingelement being arranged to be actuated when the drum is in a said sheetreceiving position for receiving and pinchingly gripping a moving sheetdelivered from said feeding path, means for releasably detenting saidtransporting drum in each said sheet receiving position, and meansrotatably mounting said transporting drum in such manner that the latterwill be rotated from one said sheet receiving position to another by theenergy of the moving sheet upon impact of the sheet with a gripperelement.

8. Apparatus for transferring a moving sheet item from a feeding path toa delivery station comprising, a rotary device for transporting saidsheet to said delivery station, movable sheet gripping means carried bysaid rotary device and arranged to be actuated for receiving andpinchingly gripping said sheet from the feeding path, means mountingsaid rotary device in such manner that the latter will be rotated by theenergy of said sheet upon impact of the sheet with said sheet grippingmeans, and means for stopping said rotary transfer device when it hastransported said sheet to said delivery station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS627,505 Jaeger June 27, 1899

1. A SHEET TRANSFERRING APPARATUS COMPRISING, A ROTARY DRUM, A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT GRIPPER FINGERS CARRIED BY SAID ROTARY DRUM AND SPACED ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY, EACH GRIPPER FINGER ARRANGED TO BE OPERATIVE AT A SHEET RECEIVING POSITION OF SAID ROTARY DRUM, CAM MEANS PRESSING AN OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER TOWARD SAID PERIPHERY FOR RECEIVING AND SIMULTANEOUSLY GRIPPING A FREELY MOVING SHEET DELIVERED FROM A FEEDING PATH, PERMANENT MAGNET MEANS DETENTING SAID ROTARY DRUM IN SUCCESSIVE SHEET RECEIVING POSITIONS, A SINGLE ELONGATED GUIDE PLATE ALONG THE FEEDING PATH FOR DIRECTING A SHEET INTO THE GRIP OF AN OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND SAID PERIPHERY, ONE END OF SAID GUIDE PLATE HAVING A PLANAR SHEET GUIDE SURFACE TANGENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROTARY DRUM, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID GUIDE PLATE HAVING A CURVATURE TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF SHEET FEEDING PROVIDING A CURVED SHEET GUIDE SURFACE MERGING WITH SAID PLANAR SHEET GUIDE SURFACE, MEANS FORMING A CURVED SHEET GUIDEWAY FOR BOWING A SHEET TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF SHEET FEEDING AND CONFORMING SUBSTANTIALLY IN CURVATURE TO SAID CURVED SHEET GUIDE SURFACE AND IN LINE THEREWITH, MEANS FOR FEEDING A SHEET THROUGH SAID CURVED SHEET GUIDEWAY TO SAID GUIDE PLATE SO THAT THE SHEET WILL RIDE SUCCESSIVELY AGAINST SAID CURVED SHEET GUIDE SURFACE AND SAID PLANAR SHEET GUIDE SURFACE UNTIL IT IS IN FREE FLIGHT AND ENTERS THE GRIP OF SAID OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND PERIPHERY, MEANS MOUNTING SAID ROTARY DRUM IN SUCH MANNER THAT THE LATTER WILL BE ROTATED, BY THE ENERGY OF SAID SHEET UPON IMPACT OF THE SHEET WITH SAID OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND PERIPHERY, TO THE NEXT SUCCESSIVE SHEET RECEIVING POSITION, AND MEANS AT SAID LAST MENTIONED SHEET RECEIVING POSITION FOR STRIPPING THE SHEET FROM SAID OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND PERIPHERY, AND WHEREIN THE ENERGY IMPARTED TO SAID ROTARY DRUM BY SAID SHEET IS SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE DETENTING FORCE OF SAID PERMANENT MAGNET MEANS. 